Africa’s visitor numbers surge

Visa relaxation and the work of Ethiopian Airlines to develop Ethiopia as a regional transport hub have been the catalyst for a massive 48% increase in international visitor arrivals, making it the fastest growing tourism market in the world in 2018.

This is according to South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, who opened Africa’s Travel Indaba on Friday. The African continent continues to forge ahead in the global international arrivals stakes – up 17% in 2018 compared to a global average of 6%, and averaging 8% growth over the last three years. Kenya hit two million visitors for the first time last year, recording 37% growth. Although the continent’s international visitors grew to 67m in 2018, Hanekom pointed out that tourism’s 8.5% contribution to Africa’s GDP still lags behind the global average of 10.5%. He says there are expected to be 1.8b global travellers by 2030 and Africa’s share will rise from 5% to 7%. South Africa is aiming to double its international arrivals from 2018’s 10.5m to 21m by 2030.